The Adventures of Captain Horn eBook

“Ralph,” he said hoarsely, as he drew
himself back, “hold this lantern and get down
out of my way. I must cover this up, quick.”
And seizing the stone slab by the handle, he lifted
it as if it had been a pot-lid, and let it down into
its place. “Now,” said he, “get
down, and let us all go away from this place.
Those negroes may be back at any moment.”

When Ralph found that his sister had fainted, and
that Mrs. Cliff did not know it, there was a little
commotion at the foot of the mound. But some
water in a pool near by soon revived Edna, and in ten
minutes the party was on the plateau outside the caverns.
The new moon was just beginning to peep over the rocks
behind them, and the two ladies had seated themselves
on the ground. Ralph was pouring out question
after question, to which nobody paid any attention,
and Captain Horn, his hands thrust into his pockets,
walked backward and forward, his face flushed and his
breath coming heavily, and, with his eyes upon the
ground, he seemed to think himself entirely alone
among those desolate crags.

“Can any of you tell me what it means?”
cried Mrs. Cliff. “Edna, do you understand
it? Tell me quickly, some of you!”

“I believe I know what it means,” said
Edna, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I
thought I knew as soon as I heard of the mound covered
up by the lake, but I did not dare to say anything,
because if my opinion should be correct it would be
so wonderful, so astounding, my mind could hardly
take hold of it.”

“But what is it?” cried Mrs. Cliff and
Ralph, almost in one breath.

“I scarcely know what to say,” said Edna,
“my mind is in such a whirl about it, but I
will tell you something of what I have read of the
ancient history of Peru, and then you will understand
my fancies about this stone mound. When the Spaniards,
under Pizarro, came to this country, their main object,
as we all know, was booty. They especially wished
to get hold of the wonderful treasures of the Incas,
the ancient rulers of Peru. This was the reason
of almost all the cruelties and wickedness of the
invaders. The Incas tried various ways of preserving
their treasures from the clutch of the Spaniards, and
I have read of a tradition that they drained a lake,
probably near Cuzco, the ancient capital, and made
a strong cellar, or mound, at the bottom of it in which
to hide their gold. They then let the water in
again, and the tradition also says that this mound
has never been discovered.”

“Do you believe,” cried the captain, “that
the mound back there in the cavern is the place where
the Incas stored their gold?”

“I do not believe it is the place I read about,”
said Miss Markham, “for that, as I said, must
have been near Cuzco. But there is no reason why
there should not have been other places of concealment.
This was far away from the capital, but that would
make the treasure so much the safer. The Spaniards
would never have thought of going to such a lonely,
deserted place as this, and the Incas would not have
spared any time or trouble necessary to securely hide
their treasures.”